Vintage Savings

Today Abbi sent me this link about vintage shopping and saving money. It is true that shopping for vintage can be cheaper than purchasing new clothes in stores. I have found that to be the case for me. However, I think that the author of the article glossed over a few things... so here are some things to consider when thinking about vintage shopping.

First and foremost, a vintage shopper has to have patience to dig, dig, and dig some more. Chances are the goodwill, salvation army, or local thrift store will not have a 'vintage' section. If you are not fond of digging through racks of clothes you might have a hard time saving money on vintage attire since vintage stores and boutiques have a much higher mark-up. My Mom does not dress in vintage, but she is great at finding awesome clothes at thrift stores for a great price. I think her secret is patience and persistence. She spends plenty of time in stores and goes to them often enough to catch the good deals when they come in; thanks Mom!

With this being said, a vintage shopper also has to have time to shop around a lot. If you have a hectic schedule chances are that you don't have an extra 2 hours to blow at goodwill hoping to find a vintage jewel. Sometimes spending extra money to save your sanity is worth it (Mom usually ended up buying us slightly expensive dresses for prom for this very reason)!

Shopping for vintage clothes can be a money saver.... but how much you save depends on how hard you try. Of course, that seems to be true of most money-saving techniques.

p.s. If you are interested in buying vintage or learning more about vintage fashion I do highly recommend the book the LearnVest article references: The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping. It is a great reference book! I would also recommend looking up vintage blogs online and shopping around etsy.com.

pps... something else has been helping me save money when it comes to shopping for clothes; I have decided to ONLY buy clothes that make me feel FABULOUS! I have bought less clothes, but I am in love with the clothes that I do buy!

Potpourri

Sorry for the blogging break friends, but I was actually working... as a volunteer coordinator it always gets a bit busy before major holidays. Everyone wants to give back at the same time!

Anywho...

Things are going well here in good ole Indiana. Since it is the holiday season (YAY!) the husband and I will be spending a lot of time in the car traveling from here to there... which really means that he will drive and i will play sudoku and we will both listen to NPR for 3 hours straight. Because we are slightly obnoxious NPR fans, almost all of our stories start with "I heard on NPR that..." We are okay with this, but I'm not sure everyone else is.

My sister's baby shower went so well! My sister looked beautiful of course! We played the required game, ate delicious food, and she got a crap ton of awesome stuff! It was a great time and I got a ton of compliments on the invites, which was nice. Okay, very nice.

Now that the shower is dont I have to get cracking on the Christmas presents I am making. I am only making gifts for 2 people, but I am also going to make a ton of coffee sleeves... they will be great stocking stuffers! Speaking of gifts, the husband and I decided to forgo expensive gifts and to go on a trip/adventure instead. We still wanted something to open on Christmas though, so we are giving gifts of 20 bucks to each other. I'm pretty excited about this!

On another note, the husband and I are starting to build actual adult wardrobes. We are shopping clearances, sales, and consignment stores for all the 'essentials.' Goodbye ironic t- shirts! Hello v-neck sweaters and knee-length dresses! Of course I will still be wearing my vintage wear and retro dresses; they are the epitome of classy! And to top it off, this was not even my idea; the husband stumbled upon a mens fashion blog and the rest is history!

Okay, one more thing: I have started going to therapy again, and let me say the it. is. life-changing. I REALLY like my therapist. She knows what shes talking about, she gives me practical exercises and tips on how to manage my anxiety, and she makes it fun! We are focusing on my fear of storms, tornadoes, fire, water, and anything else that can potentially kill you and/or your loved ones. We are using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to treat the anxiety, and let me say... it is empowering!

I hope you all are doing well too; enjoy the holiday!

On Clothes

I can't wait until the time change happens. Waking up and being functional in the a.m. is more difficult for me when it is still pitch black outside. This past week I have not quite been myself, fashionably speaking; I believe I wore pants and came into work with wet hair twice!! While it is no sin, it is just weird for me these days because of my vintage obsessions. Proper ladies never did those things! :)

I was thinking about this last night in bed and said to the husband something like "when we become grown ups can I have nice clothes so I never look frumpy?" He look at me and apprehensively questioned "is that possible?" I thought for a while and concluded that no, it is not possible, at least for me. While I love to feel feminine and pretty, I also love sleep and being lazy. I responded that I guess it is not about the clothes I have or don't have, but rather about my laziness and decisions to sleep 'just another 15 minutes.'

However, I stick to my guns that I need better clothes. I mean, if I had no bad clothes I couldn't look frumpy...could I? :)

In other news, I finally finished the invitation to my sisters baby shower! Now it is time to start on the many Christmas gifts I am sewing!

What Outfit Makes You Feel Your Best

Last week Mrs. Attempted Domestication, Ms. Apt 16, and I were discussing the new real Simple magazine. Well, more like drooling over it. I didn't have anything to offer to the conversation since I hadn't read it yet (my mom gives me her copy when shes done reading). I have since read it and agree that it was FANTASTIC! Mrs. Attempted Domestication came up with the glorious idea that all three of us blog about the editors question of What outfit makes you feel your best?

If I were 9, I would have said a sweat-suit (matching with my Granny of course).

If I were 12, I would have said baggy Nike Shorts and an over-sized t-shirt.

If I were 15 I would have said a child sized goodwill t-shirt and my holey Mudd bell- bottom pants.

If I were 18 I would have said 'anything my friends would tell me'.

Right now, at the age of 25 I would have to say the outfit I feel best in is my teal 1940's inspired dress I got at Banana Republic in 2008. The dress is perfect for me: it highlights my natural waistline, has ruched shoulders, and falls perfectly at the knee. It is also silky and oh so comfortable! I bought it on credit for my cousins wedding when I was a VISTA and making 9,000 dollars a year. I justified buying it because it was on sale (as is everything I buy at BR) and because it had been such a rough year for me I decided that I deserved to splurge once in a while. Even though it might not have been the responsible thing to do, I believe it was the right thing to do. Ive had the dress for 2 years and still feel gorgeous in it!

I have worn the dress to weddings, swing dancing, and to a housewarming party I threw for myself! When I wear this dress I am completely in my element. I put seamed stockings and small heels on , and complete the look by adding a vintage hairstyle. This is when I feel my best (however, a close second are my pajamas. When I get home from work everyday, the first thing I do is change into a comfy nightgown).

What outfit makes you feel your best?

Hobbies do a body good... plus website wednesday

Sometimes I find myself getting bored with life; not that I am not like 112% happy to be living... it's just that I want things to be a bit more exciting. However, I'd like to tell you of some little things I've been doing in order to break up the day-to-day stuff:

1. Gardening - we live in an apartment, so while I cant have my own garden, I am able to help out with a community garden that my church is starting. All involved pay a small fee and water/weed the garden in exchange for fresh produce! Leftover produce is given to local shelters. Today is my first day there... so wish me luck!

2. Sewing - this hobby has been a long time coming. Since i adore vintage clothes and its very rare to find vintage clothes for big gals I knew I would eventually want to learn to sew. Also, I could make a lot of awesome presents for people with a sewing machine! This past Christmas I got a sewing machine and have finally learned to thread it, wind bobbins, and all that jazz. I'm practicing my straight lines now. Also, I have my first sewing lesson tomorrow at the local handmade store! I am so pumped! We are going to learn to use my machine and make a pillow. yay!

3. Cooking - I haven't been very good with this one lately as i've felt lazy after work... so ive been making things I am confident will taste good. Hopefully i'll get back into the swing of things soon.

4. Vintage Hair - This hobby has been lacking too; my hair is a bit long (shoulder length) for some styles, so i've mostly just been teasing the top and making it a 1960's look. It looks good, but im ready for a haircut! Oh, I've also mastered the victory roll, but they don't look good on me, so I wont wear them. The next goal is learning to pincurl my hair!

Also, since its Website Wednesday, I give you... My Parents Were Awesome. My parents are still awesome, but for those who aren't as lucky there is this website.